State

Trek to the Inlets Copper-back warriors are swarm¬ ing in and surf-easters are off to meet them. By CI1ET DAVIS Through at least nine months of the year most of the states on the east¬ ern seaboard can boast of fishing which is at least as good as any North Caro¬ lina can provide, and often is much better. But. from early September through a generous part of November. North Carolina offers a quality of sport which has made this state famous among fishermen all over the world. That is when the channel bass gath¬ er at the mouths of the inlets which pierce the Outer Banks and again feed through the surf sloughs which pit that sandy barrier. The Fall Migration And it is the time when surf fisher¬ men from North Carolina and other states make their annual migration to Scottic Gibson's Atlantic View Hotel at Hattcras, to W’ahab's Inn on Ocra- cokc, to the club at Portsmouth, and to Captain Ira Morris' fishing camp at Drum Inlet. They flock to Topsail Inlet, Masonboro Inlet, Baldhead Is¬ land and a handful of other spots. Some of them come in expensive planes and land directly on the broad, flat beaches. Others drive to the jump¬ ing off points in beat-up cars, pulling trailers in which they hope to haul back a Winter's supply of eating fish. Their tackle is as assorted as their transportation. One Fall day I watched four sports¬ men from Macon, Georgia, whipping out graceful casts with the finest rigs money can buy. They had custom- built split bamboo rods, the best squid- ding reels on the market, lightweight waders which will keep a man dry in water up this middle ribs, sand spikes and all the rest. They had no luck until a native Ocracocan came plodding out from the village to take his place in their midst. Then their luck turned sour. The old fellow was a handliner. His tackle consisted of a length of frayed line, a rusty hook, a chunk of lead, and a chunk of salt mullet. He 12 Happy is he — Dave Roberts, of the "Cincinnati Enquirer,** with his chan¬ nel bass on the beach at Baldhead Island off Southport. twirled that line over his head and looped it out into the slough about as far as a good man can spit with the wind. Within an hour he had beached three copper-sided channel bass. The gentlemen from Georgia were still waiting for a bite when the old fellow, dragging his catch, trudged back to¬ wards the village. Autumn surf fishing is a round-the- clock proposition. Towards the top of the tide you will find men on the beach and it makes no difference whether the tide flows full at dawn, dusk or midnight. All Night Long During the week of October’s full moon the surfmen arc on the beach the night through. There arc times when favored spots are crowded with fishermen. They stand almost elbow to elbow and whip their lines out into the moon- washed night, praying for a straight cast. As often as not their lines cross those of their neighbors, and what they take for a strike is only a snarled invitation to a cussing match. Since tempers arc short and knives sharp in the dark hours of early morning, lines arc easier cut than untangled under the elusive light of the moon. During the Fall, when the big reds move out of the shallow, quick cooling coastal sounds, surf fishermen catch puppy drum — up to 15 pounds — by the hundreds. Channel bass in the 25 to 35 pound class are — barring a Nor¬ easter or a touch of a late hurricane — beached by the dozen every day. Fish up to 40 pounds don't raise any eye¬ brows. Anything over 40 pounds is worth a brag and a fish bettering 45 pounds calls for a celebration. The world’s record channel bass — now held by Virginia — weighed 85 pounds. Simple, Economical Surf tackle is simple and it need not be expensive. You can obtain Calcutta cane poles fitted for the surf for as little as $10. Split bamboo rods retail for $25 to $35. You need a good reel, SI5 and up. and 200 to 250 yards of linen or nylon line. A line testing 27 to 36 pounds is adequate. The hooks, leader wire, leads, brass connections and bait — fresh mullet is best — arc inexpensive. Guides are another matter. The usual charge is $20 a day for the party and bait is extra. This fee includes the know-how of the guide and. much more important, the use of his beach buggy, usually a Jeep or a command car, for trips up and down the beach. At Hattcras and Ocracokc you can get a taxi service from the village out to the surf, a distance of several sandy miles. That is fine, providing you know precisely where you want to fish. If not, the hiking through the sand from one slough to another is enough to make you wish that you had hired a THE STATE. SEPTEMBER IS. 1951